TeleFutura to be UniMas in latest challenge of rival

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NEW YORK — It’s a race to be the best of the second-best. On Monday, Univision, the dominant Spanish-language network in the United States, will unveil a new name and look for its second-largest network, TeleFutura. The move is a direct shot at Telemundo, a ­rival for second place among domestic Spanish-speaking viewers.

The new name will be UniMas, and the network will include new content and a marketing campaign aimed at a younger, male Latino demographic. The rebranding of TeleFutura is also the latest effort by Univision to connect all of its properties under the Univision brand. The moves will be announced in New York City Monday, and the revamped network will debut Jan. 7.

‘‘We have been focused on making TeleFutura the undisputed number two Spanish-language network in the US, behind Univision,’’ said Cesar Conde, president of Univision Networks. ‘‘This new brand positioning is going to really identify and connect UniMas with the main mother ship brand of Univision.’’

The rebranding is one of many Spanish-language television changes this year. Many of the efforts may appear to be geared to consumers, but they are also an attempt by the networks to attract dollars from advertisers wanting to cater to the growing Hispanic marketplace.

‘‘Media companies are being forced to change because audience behavior is changing pretty radically,’’ said Karl Heiselman, chief executive at Wolff Olins, the advertising agency that worked with Univision. ‘‘The Hispanic market is not the old stereotype of the past, at all. It’s incredibly young and tech-savvy.’’

In October, Univision announced a refreshed three-dimensional version of the company’s green, blue, red, and purple tulip logo, along with a new tag line, ‘‘The Hispanic Heartbeat of America.’’

In November, Univision unveiled a new logo for Galavision to celebrate that network’s 33d anniversary. The logo included a line clearly identifying Galavision as ‘‘A Univision Network’’ and connecting it further to the parent company.

This fall, Telemundo announced a major rebranding effort of its own, including a new fire-red ‘‘T’’ logo that replaced its 11-year old blue ‘‘T’’ logo. The network, which is owned by NBCUniversal, will start the campaign this month with marketing initiatives including commercials featuring network personalities. The network will also broadcast its morning show, ‘‘Un Nuevo Dia,’’ live from Times Square on Dec. 10.

‘‘It is the year of the brands in the Hispanic space,’’ said Jacqueline Hernandez, Telemundo’s chief operating officer.